Injury waylays Willson's senior season at Rice

Rice tight end Luke Willson was a force in 2011 with 29 catches, but a high ankle sprain has limited him to five receptions in his senior season.

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UTSA at Rice

When/where: 2:30 p.m. Saturday; Rice Stadium.

TV/radio: Fox College Sports. 1560 AM.

When Luke Willson caught a touchdown pass less than nine minutes into the Rice football team's opener on Aug. 30, his senior season was off to a blazing start.

Five weeks later, the positive vibes have turned negative.

The tight end named to the Mackey Award watch list for the second year in a row this preseason suffered a high ankle sprain in the Owls' third game and has not been the same since. Willson has caught only one pass since the opening loss to UCLA.

Once expected to be the brightest of spots for Rice, Willson has seen his inclusion in the offense turn into a day-to-day mess. He said it is one of the most difficult things he has had to deal with.

"You feel helpless," Willson said. "It might be different if we had won these last few games. It's been tough to watch. I wish I was out there helping my teammates. The hardest thing is knowing you don't have anything guaranteed after this year.

"It's my last season playing for Rice."

On Wednesday, Willson dressed but watched most of practice from the sideline. That has been the case too often the last few weeks since a player landed on his left ankle during the Louisiana Tech game.

His next chance to play is at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, when the Owls host UT-San Antonio (5-0).

"I have no idea what Saturday holds for me," he said. "I could be out there the whole time or I could not be out there at all."

If he doesn't play, Rice (1-5, 0-3 C-USA) will have to find a way to fix its offense without one of its most dependable players. Willson caught 62 passes for 728 yards and six touchdowns his sophomore and junior seasons. This year he has three receptions for 30 yards.

Rice tight ends coach David Sloan said the Owls have not had to change much without Willson's contributions. The only thing they're missing is the ability to use all three senior tight ends at once.

Sloan added that, despite his absence on the field, Willson is making a difference.

"He's definitely the vocal leader," Sloan said. "He's a blue-collar worker who does the dirty work. He doesn't often get the recognition due to him."

Rice's season began with high hopes. They stayed high throughout non-conference play but have sunk the last two weeks. The offense scored 24 points combined in losses to Houston and Memphis.

Willson said the Owls are searching for answers. The players believe they just need to figure out how to fix what is broken. Willson hopes his return to the field will help.

"I look at myself as a guy the offense looks up to," he said. "When times are tough, I'm kind of the guy who likes to say, 'Run behind me or throw to me.'"